Why Men Need Women

Why Men Are Nothing Without Women

Women may initiate the majority of divorces, but there are millions of them who watch in despair as their husbands pack their bags and walk out the door for a younger woman, leaving them with the kids and little source of income. Sure, the courts will see to it that these men pay child support, but that’s generally not going to pay the household bills. Woe to such a woman who has no work skills or experience.

We would probably also disagree about what role marriage and children play in the lives of men and women. Lang, and maybe many readers, seems to subscribe to the Playboy philosophy that marriage is a kind of male slavery dreamt up by women and “society.” It’s true that society — actually, every society in human history — has had a stake in getting men to commit. That wasn’t a conspiracy against men. It was necessary to ensure the survival of children and their mothers — in other words, to the continuation of the group.

Does this ancient truth have any relevance today? I think so, though the issue may no longer be basic survival. First of all, even if their mothers are financially independent, kids like to have their dads around and do a lot better in life when they are. Second, men are more productive and less anti-social when they are tied to families. This is not “hate-mongering.” It is anthropological fact that a large population of single men is a recipe for social unrest. The research is also pretty definitive that married men earn more, work harder, are healthier, less prone to alcoholism and drug use, and live longer.

Look, I’m happy to be living in a society that allows so much individual choice. Some men and women prefer never to marry and rear children; that’s just hunky dory. But surveys are pretty consistent in finding that the large majority of women and men say they want to have a family at some point. That’s a good thing; imagine if it weren’t true. For better or worse, we’re stuck with each other. So can’t we figure out a way to all just get along?